The short answer: Garden Grove by the numbers
Garden Grove is a large, built-out Orange County city of about 171,000 people (Census 2020-2024 survey). It is cheaper than the county as a whole but not cheap, its schools test above the state average, and most of its homes date from the post-war boom. Four numbers sum it up:
- $1,001,908: Zillow's typical home value in September 2026, up 4.8% in a year.
- $2,703 a month: Zillow's observed rent for the city in September 2026.
- $92,174: median household income (Census 2020-2024), up 33% from the 2015-2019 survey.
- 28.5 minutes: the average one-way commute for working residents.
Whether it suits you depends on budget, commute and the kind of house you want. The pros and cons below use official data, so you can weigh them yourself.
Pros of living in Garden Grove
Pro: prices below the Orange County median
Redfin's median sale price for Garden Grove was $1,009,519 in the three months to September 2026, while the county's median for September alone was $1,207,298. Nearby, Westminster's three-month median was $1,186,435 and Fountain Valley's $1,409,329. Garden Grove buys more house for the money than most of coastal and central Orange County, though Anaheim ($969,538) and Santa Ana ($849,595) were lower still.
Pro: long-run home value growth
Zillow's typical value has more than doubled in ten years (up 106.3%) and rose 33.6% in five years. September 2026 was the highest value Zillow has recorded for the city. Past growth is no promise, but owners who bought a decade ago have built real equity.
Pro: a central location in north Orange County
The city sits directly south of Anaheim and west of Santa Ana, near the middle of the northern half of the county. The city's largest private employers include Great Wolf Lodge Southern California (700 jobs) and the Hyatt Regency Orange County (424), according to the city's 2024-25 financial report.
Pro: school results above the state average
On the 2025 California School Dashboard, Garden Grove Unified was 24.9 points above the English standard and 3.9 points below in math, against 8.1 and 42.4 points below statewide. Its graduation rate was 92.3%. Results differ by school, as our Garden Grove schools guide shows.
Pro: many parks across the city
The city lists more than a dozen city parks, from the 36-acre Garden Grove Park on Westminster Boulevard, with softball, soccer and a skate park, to the Atlantis Play Center's 13 playgrounds and splash pad. The county's 23-acre Haster Basin on Lampson Avenue has a lake and exercise course, and the Chapman Sports Complex has six lighted tennis courts.
Pro: the Strawberry Festival and city events
The Garden Grove Strawberry Festival started in 1958 and runs over Memorial Day weekend with a parade, carnival rides and concerts; admission is free, and the 2027 dates are May 28 to 31. The city also hosts Winter in the Grove at Village Green Park on Main Street, on December 5, 2026.
Pro: OC Streetcar on the way
OCTA's OC Streetcar is due to start service in early 2027, running 4.15 miles with 16 stops from the Santa Ana Regional Transportation Center, which is served by Metrolink and Pacific Surfliner trains, to the Harbor Corridor in Garden Grove.
Pro: room to add an ADU
Many Garden Grove houses sit on tract lots with room behind them. The city's ADU Go program offers free, pre-approved plans from studios to three-bedroom units, though they cannot be used on lots in a mapped flood zone. Our California ADU rules guide covers the state rules.
Cons of living in Garden Grove
Con: buying still takes a high income
Garden Grove is cheaper than the county, not cheap. Principal, interest and property tax on a $1,001,908 home with 20% down came to about $6,448 a month at October 2026 rates, or $77,376 a year, before insurance. Keeping that to 30% of gross income takes about $258,000 a year, nearly three times the city's median household income. Renting at $2,703 a month costs far less.
Con: older homes need work
The median home was built in 1965 (Census). Original sewer lines, electrical panels, windows and roofs are common, and so are unpermitted additions. Budget for updates and a thorough inspection, and see our disclosure guide for what sellers must tell you.
Con: industry close to homes
Industrial sites sit near neighborhoods. In May 2026 a chemical tank problem at GKN Aerospace's Garden Grove plant led to mandatory evacuations; at one point the zone ran from Ball Road to Trask Avenue and west to Valley View Street. A court approved a safety plan and a claims program of up to $100 million in October 2026. Check what operates near any home you consider.
Con: some flood zone mapping
Parts of the city are in FEMA Special Flood Hazard Areas (Zone A), where lenders require flood insurance. The city's history records a 1916 flood that put the town center under about four feet of water. Check the parcel on the city's flood zone map.
Con: little new housing
The city is fully developed, so new homes come from small infill projects, many of them rental apartments. The city's current projects list includes a seven-story, 98-unit apartment building on Garden Grove Boulevard and a 34-unit building on Coast Street. If you want a newly built house, your choices here are few.
Con: property tax add-ons
Proposition 13 caps the base rate at 1%, but Garden Grove bills carry more. The county's 2026-27 rate book shows 1.18101% in many city areas, such as 18-001, made up of the 1% base, a 0.08% city paramedic tax override from 1974, Garden Grove Unified and Coast Community College bond levies and a water district charge. On a $1,001,908 purchase that is about $11,833 a year, or $986 a month, before the $7,000 homeowners' exemption. One area paying Anaheim school bonds is 1.21216%. Our Orange County property tax guide explains supplemental bills and appeals.
Con: crime figures to weigh
California DOJ figures for 2025 show the Garden Grove Police Department recorded 416 violent crimes and 1,845 property crimes, about 2.4 and 10.8 per 1,000 residents, below statewide rates of about 4.3 and 18.0. Both were lower than in 2024. See our Garden Grove crime data page for the method and how to check an address.
What living in Garden Grove is like
Housing in Garden Grove
About 54% of the city's 50,960 homes are detached houses, 9% are attached townhome-style homes, 34% are in buildings of two or more units and 3% are mobile homes (Census). Owners occupy 53% of homes. The city's history notes that it was named the fastest-growing city in America in the late 1950s, and the tracts from that boom still define most streets.
Getting around Garden Grove
Most residents drive; the average commute is 28.5 minutes. Check OCTA's bus routes for your street; the OC Streetcar will add a rail link to Santa Ana and its train station in 2027. City Hall and the Civic Center are on Acacia Parkway, where a new police facility is under construction, to be followed by a redesigned park.
Things to do in Garden Grove
Downtown's Main Street and Village Green Park host city events, the Garden Grove Historical Society runs the Stanley Ranch Museum at 12174 Euclid Street, and the H. Louis Lake Senior Center offers programs for older residents. Hotels along Harbor Boulevard, such as the Delta Hotels Anaheim Garden Grove at 12021 Harbor Boulevard, host visitors and community meetings alike; the city used it for its October 2026 GKN claims meeting.
Garden Grove compared with nearby cities
The table uses one measure per column: Census 2020-2024 figures for income, rent and owner-reported home value, and Redfin's median sale price for the three months to September 2026.
| City | Median household income | Median gross rent | Median owner home value (Census) | Redfin median sale price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Garden Grove | $92,174 | $2,012 | $814,100 | $1,009,519 |
| Anaheim | $95,227 | $2,175 | $831,200 | $969,538 |
| Santa Ana | $93,999 | $2,082 | $713,000 | $849,595 |
| Westminster | $85,541 | $2,168 | $858,300 | $1,186,435 |
| Stanton | $84,707 | $1,997 | $579,300 | $662,684 |
Census values lag the market because owners estimate them over a five-year survey period, which is why they sit well below Redfin's recent sale prices. On both measures Garden Grove lands in the middle of its neighbors: dearer than Santa Ana and Stanton, cheaper than Westminster, and close to Anaheim. Census median rent here, $2,012, is lower than Zillow's $2,703 because it includes long-standing leases, while Zillow tracks rents on current listings.
Salary needed to live in Garden Grove
MIT's Living Wage Calculator estimates the pre-tax income a household needs to cover basic costs in Orange County. Its 2026 figures:
| Household | Living wage per hour | Annual income before taxes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 adult, no children | $36.53 | $75,982 |
| 1 adult, 1 child | $59.57 | $123,909 |
| 2 adults both working, 2 children | $39.33 each | about $163,600 combined |
MIT's housing figure is based on renting. Buying a typical Garden Grove home takes far more, as the cost example above shows. Our California cost of living guide compares regions.
Who is moving to and from Garden Grove
Garden Grove is a stable city. In the Census 2020-2024 survey, 92.5% of residents lived in the same home a year earlier. Of those who moved in, most came from elsewhere in Orange County (5.4% of residents), with 1.1% from another California county, 0.4% from another state and 0.6% from abroad. The population estimate fell slightly, from 173,258 in the 2015-2019 survey to 170,964, while median household income rose from $69,278 to $92,174 and the median value of owner-occupied homes from $554,400 to $814,100.
Retiring in Garden Grove
The median age is 40.2. Older owners can use Prop 19 to move their assessed value to a replacement home in California within limits; see our Prop 19 guide. The city runs the H. Louis Lake Senior Center and a senior newsletter, and its CARE senior discount lowers city water bills for residents 65 and older who live at the billing address, have the bill in their name and are enrolled in Southern California Edison's CARE program. For age-restricted communities across the state, see our California 55+ communities guide.
Where to live in Garden Grove
West Garden Grove (92845) has the city's highest Zillow ZIP value, $1,111,495, and the highest owner share. 92841, around Dale Street and Chapman Avenue, had Redfin's highest three-month median at $1,124,670. 92844, toward Westminster, had the lowest Zillow value, $940,849, and the most townhouse and condo sales. Our Garden Grove neighborhoods guide profiles each area, and our Garden Grove homes guide covers buying and selling.
Should you move to Garden Grove? A checklist
- Can you afford about $6,400 a month for a typical house, or are you better served renting or buying a condo?
- Have you driven your commute at rush hour from the ZIP you are considering?
- Have you checked the school assigned to the address with the district's locator?
- Have you checked the flood zone map and what industrial sites are nearby?
- Are you ready to update a 1960s house, or do you need a newer one?
- Have you compared Garden Grove with Westminster, Cypress, Anaheim and Fountain Valley on price and commute?